Preaching the gospel of spiritual independence

February 28, 2019

Hey, I don't believe in supernatural miracles, but I sure believe in miracles of physicality that I can see with my own eyes.

Here's a mind-blowing performance on a recent World of Dance episode by The Kings -- a bolly-hop (mixture of Bollywood and hip-hop styles) team from Mumbai, India.

Their personal stories, not shown in this video, also were inspiring.

I recall they said they had to walk quite a few miles to practice together, and had to practice on beach sand because they couldn't afford to use a dance studio with cushiony mats to absorb falls and such.

February 27, 2019

Here at the Church of the Churchless we admire humor, especially when it is directed at oh-so-serious religious believers.

So I'm pleased to share this comment by Spence Tepper, who wrote it as a properly amused response to someone who was upset by me not using "alleged" in each and every sentence I wrote about a criminal complaint filed against Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

I've corrected a few alleged typos in the comment that was allegedly written by Tepper.

Hi Michael.

You wrote "In case he decides to delete that blog post, I have taken a screenshot of his words as I’m sure they will be helpful if there is a defamation lawsuit."

For real? Really?

Let's just say the alleged you allegedly took an alleged screen shot just in case Brian's alleged words are allegedly deleted, should an alleged lawsuit for alleged defamation arise, as it apparently, but only allegedly, has arisen in your very alleged mind.

I hope Michael is able to laugh at this, because he's been way too serious about criticizing me for writing that the guru made death threats against his cousin, Malvinder Singh, without adding "allegedly."

Of course, the blog post where I first reported the criminal complaint was titled Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the RSSB guru, is accused of making death threats. But I guess Michael wanted an "alleged" thrown in somewhere in addition to the "accused."

And Michael wasn't satisfied that in the post itself I used "allegations" several times to describe the complaint. Well, allegedly the blog post contains that word.

I just wish religious believers were as zealous in using the word in describing their faiths. It'd be great if Christians said, "Allegedly, Jesus died on the cross for our sins," if Muslims said, "Allegedly, the Koran is the holy book of Allah," and if RSSB devotees said, "Allegedly, the guru is God in human form."

February 26, 2019

This blog has been alive and well since 2004. That's 15 years of talking truth to religious power here at the Church of the Churchless.

After over 4 million page views, 2,526 posts, and 42,239 comments, I'm well aware of the games religious believers play when their cherished faith comes in for criticism. One of their favorite ploys is to attack the messenger when the message being shared is so convincing, they have no effective response to my truth-telling.

Recent case in point: commenter Chris.

He's been doing his best to defend the Radha Soami Satsang Beas guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, against a criminal complaint filed by his cousin, Malvinder Singh, alleging that Dhillon, his family, and close associates have fraudulently siphoned off hundreds of millions of dollars from companies once managed by Malvinder and his brother Shivinder, who reportedly aided and abetted in the financial theft in exchange for a promise that Shivinder would become the next RSSB guru.

In addition, the complaint says that the guru has made death threats against Malvinder. Not exactly how one would expect that a supposedly "spiritual" guru would behave, though there are plenty of examples of other Indian gurus behaving badly.

Now, it seems to me that even if someone was a devotee of a guru who has been accused of such serious wrongdoing, especially since investigators in India have documented the money trail that leads to the guru's doorstep, they would say something like, "Wow, these are serious accusations. I sure hope they aren't true. But this purported wrongdoing needs to be closely examined."

Chris isn't that sort of person, though.

He's been doing his best to attack my credibility, even though I've simply been writing about what the Indian financial press has been reporting. Thus he's doing the attack the messenger thing, rather than responding to the details of the message regarding Gurinder Singh Dhillon's reported misdeeds.

After Chris wrongly claimed that I'm an "icon for dissatisfied meditators," I challenged him to explain why, if this was true, I've been meditating every day for 50 years. If I, and other spiritual but not religious types, are dissatisfied with our meditation, seemingly we wouldn't be so happy to meditate.

As a gesture of good faith, I'll do you the courtesy of replying to your points and questions first. I have assumed you will permit me to be rigorously honest with you. . . . , . . .

Hey, I love honesty. Especially rigorous honesty. That's the best kind. I sprinkle rigorous honesty on my cereal each morning -- that's how much I adore it.

BH: “you claim to be devoted to the truth." I have not made such a "claim" here. Can you quote me? FALSE ASSUMPTION 1

Oh, I'm sorry. When I said in a comment that you (Chris) claim to be devoted to the truth, I thought you'd take that as a compliment. I stand corrected. You don't claim to be devoted to the truth. But I am. I guess I assumed that you were as devoted to the truth as me. My bad.

BH: “you speak of things that you have no knowledge of." Brian you don't know me, nor what I know. FALSE ASSUMPTION 2

Well, what I was thinking of when I said that about you was the above-referenced statement you made about me being an icon for dissatisfied meditators. Since you don't have direct knowledge of how satisfied I or others are with our meditation, I stand by my assertion. But if you do know how satisfied we are with our meditation, I look forward to seeing evidence of your mystical powers.

BH: "Such as, what I and other critics of the RSSB guru have experienced in meditation, and continue to experience." I have made no such claim to such knowledge. And I admit I don't have it. FALSE ASSUMPTION & ACCUSATION 3

Hmmmm. It sure seems like you made that claim. Below is an excerpt from one of your comments. You said that I and others have embraced "erroneous certainties." But I'm glad that you now admit that you don't know whether what we non-religious meditators experience in meditation is true. So I accept your apology. You wrote;

"Most people live their lives out of self-invented illusory certainties. In my view Brian Hines and many others here have merely swapped one set of erroneous sureties for a different set. As we ALL have the right to do. But if Mr. Hines wants to claim he is spreading 'truth' -- and doing it very publically -- then he also can be held accountable for what he spreads. Don't you think? Or has he now become an untouchable icon for dissatisfied meditators, thus someone who must be defended at all costs, even when he is clearly in error?"

BH: "As Sonya correctly said, we are not the 'dissatisfied meditators' that you say we are." I meant specifically surat-shabd-yoga meditation. And I wasn't referring to JUST you. I was colloquially referring to you and some of your defenders/supporters. In your case I was referencing how you have often expressed a dissatisfaction with the results of your decades of RS surat-shabd yoga. I admit I have made an assumption of my own, that someone who had satisfactory results in surat-shabd yoga would not be regularly engaged in the kind of comments that are commonplace here.

Ah, now we get to the crux of what is bothering Chris. He apparently believes that surat-shabd-yoga meditation is the only genuine kind. I heartily disagree. I spent 35 years diligently practicing that sort of meditation, which is that taught by Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

For about 15 years I've been meditating in a Buddhist fashion, using Vipassana (mindfulness) and Metta (loving kindness) practices. In my experience mindfulness and loving kindness are better ways of meditating. But everyone has to decide for themselves.

I'm just surprised that Chris is so judgmental about meditation practices that differ from the one he prefers.

I'm also surprised that Chris seems to be suggesting that he has achieved some sort of meditation heights that us mere mortals haven't. Do you really believe that surat shabd yoga meditation is better than other types, Chris? Regardless of the answer, I now understand why Chris is so defensive about criticisms of the RSSB guru.

If the guru really is guilty of the crimes he's been accused of, this would show that surat-shabd-yoga doesn't make one a better human being, given that Gurinder Singh Dhillon is the spiritual leader of a surat-shabd-yoga sect.

BH: "You seem to look upon meditation as some sort of a contest...” No, I have not written that, and I do not think that. FALSE ASSUMPTION 4

Again, I stand corrected. When you spoke of "dissatisfied meditators," I understandably assumed that you had a vision in mind of what a satisfied meditator would be like. It's good to know that notwithstanding your statements about surat-shabd-yoga meditation, actually you don't believe that sort of meditation is better than other kinds. On that we agree. Which is why I'm pleased to stick with mindfulness and loving kindness meditation.

BH: "If you're willing, please share what you consider should make someone dissatisfied with their meditation." I regard this as a devious attempt at entrapment used as a defensive avoidance tactic. But ...only you can know for sure. Whatever, I have no interest in pursuing such a line of enquiry and don't see how it adds to the discussion of you presenting one-sided allegations and speculations as if they are factually proven, when any honest person knows that, as yet, they aren't.

Gosh, Chris, I politely said "if you're willing..." No need to view my request as a "devious attempt at entrapment."

Didn't you just say that you don't view meditation as some sort of contest? I simply was wondering why you claimed that I and others were dissatisfied with our meditation. Seemingly that claim would be backed up by a criterion of what would make someone satisfied with their meditation.

Regarding the allegations made against Gurinder Singh Dhillon, you should complain to the Indian financial press and Malvinder Singh, since they're the ones reporting on and making those allegations. I sprinkle my blog posts on this subject with "allegedly" and similar terms. I've never said that they were factually proven. Maybe you've been reading some other blog and mixing it up with this one. Hey, we all make mistakes.

BH: "Again, along with Buddhist teachings, I consider that coming closer to the reality of the present moment, whatever that reality consists of, is what meditation is all about. If you disagree, share your own view of meditation." Again, I see this as yet another irrelevant point to my specific observations and therefore a diversionary tactic. There.

There? That's your answer to my query about whether you believe coming closer to the reality of the present moment is what meditation is all about?

I simply was trying to understand how you view meditation. Sounds like I was correct in assuming above that truth isn't your primary goal in meditation. That's fine. Everybody is entitled to their own illusions. Whatever works for you, do it.

Will you now reply to the previous observations and the related questions put to you? Here are a few more: Can you see how you have again in this reply made many false assumptions and made unfounded claims?

No.

Can you see that you have built a picture of what is occurring between us based on those false assumptions AS IF they were 'factual' and 'true'?

No.

Can you see how that appears to be a pattern of behaviour?

No.

UPDATE: I just came across a comment by Sonya that is too good not to share in this post. GSD refers to Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Enjoy:

@Chris Why do you keep saying “dissatisfied meditators”. I was very satisfied with my meditation when I followed RSSB and am still satisfied with meditation today. That had nothing to do with GSD. It’s GSD’s stomach churning behavior and the comments I personally witnessed spew out of his mouth as well as his inappropriate behavior that were intolerable.

Maybe you haven’t spent enough time in his close presence to understand this yet. As you’ll see in one of Brian’s recent posts he threw in “allegedly” and made reference to how Stephen Colbert often throws in “allegedly” when talking about Trump.

That made me laugh... All of the other late night TV show hosts repeat the news... (and they don’t even say allegedly) that’s exactly what Brian is doing (on a more serious note). Watch Colbert, Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, John Oliver... they repeat the news and add their own Op Ed to it...

I wish India had an SNL [Saturday Night Live] type show... maybe they do. If so, I’d love to see it because this whole RSSB, Dhillon, Singh scandal has rocked the Indian Media. They like to refer to it as a potboiler... they say it has all the makings of a Bollywood movie with a guru even thrown in! It’s a blockbuster Bollywood film in the making.

You should spend some time watching the News channels in India cover this... get a translator. It’s sadly very entertaining. Or are you more of a Fox News and Info Wars kind of guy/girl? (respectfully, Chris could be either) What made GSD will break GSD.

February 25, 2019

Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the so-called "spiritual" guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) must be feeling cramped these days, because the criminal inquires related to illegal loans he and other members of the Dhillon family received is growing ever closer to him.

Fortis Healthcare Ltd has asked the markets regulator to order the arrest of its former promoters, chairman Ravi Rajagopal said, after they failed to return diverted money as directed by the regulator.

On 17 October, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) directed Fortis’s former promoters Singh brothers and various promoter companies to return within 90 days ₹472 crore that had gone out of Fortis as secured inter-corporate loans.

What went on is complicated, as it involves numerous companies that shifted transactions around to hide what really was going on and who the ultimate beneficiaries of the illegal loans were: the guru and his family, plus associates connected with RSSB.

This image that I shared in a previous post shows the overall money trail -- which explains why Fortis now is seeking to have Malvinder and Shivinder Singh arrested, and why Gurinder Singh Dhillon should be worrying about the same thing happening to him.

A massive loan of about $770 million (5,482 crore rupees) also went directly to Gurinder Singh Dhillon from RHC Holding, a company controlled by Malvinder and Shivinder Singh.

Fortis now wants to get $66 million (472 crore) back from the Singh brothers, which is why they're being threatened with arrest. But as the flow chart above shows, that money went to the Dhillon family. So this explains why Malvinder has filed the criminal complaint against the guru, his family, and business associates -- as described in this previous post.

The Singh brothers are pretty much broke, it appears.

Because they looked upon their cousin, the guru, as a divine being who could do no wrong, they didn't follow normal fiduciary rules when they made the loans to Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his family. Thus apparently they didn't demand collateral as a loan guarantee, figuring that the guru of RSSB could be trusted to repay the money.

With former promoter Malvinder Singh alleging that monies were sucked out as per directions of the Dhillons of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, do you think Fortis should go after RSSB as well for recoveries?

We have to follow the Sebi order, and it clearly specifies 8-9 parties. They have ordered these parties to pay back the monies within 90 days of the order, which expired on 18 January. If they failed to pay, Sebi had instructed us to go after them. So, we cannot go after other parties, even if newspaper reports make certain allegations.

Well, it isn't just newspaper reports that have made those allegations about financial fraud committed the Dhillon family. Malvinder Singh's criminal complaint is the source of those allegations.

Gurinder Singh Dhillon is used to being surrounded by fawning devotees who believe the guru can do no wrong, being "God in human form." But investors and business executives don't care about that crap. They just want their money back, and by all accounts, the Fortis money ended up in the pockets of the Dhillon family.

This happened through some exceedingly convoluted and deceitful means, as detailed in the Sebi order mentioned by the board chairman. After finding the order through the Great God Google, I read it quickly, and don't claim to understand what went on fully.

But here's a screenshot from the order that shows how some of the fraudulent transactions were handled. Fortis Healthcare money ended up in entities controlled by Malvinder and Shivinder Singh. The money trail doesn't show that the money then was given to the guru and his family in the form of unsecured loans.

So it sure seems like Gurinder Singh Dhillon is going to come under ever-increasing scrutiny by Indian investigators. Assuming, of course, that the authorities in India are willing to hold a popular guru accountable for his crimes.

This section of the Sebi order shows that further investigations are being undertaken, or will be at some point.

The guru may think that he is above the law. I suspect, and hope, that he isn't.

If it turns out that Indian authorities are willing to turn a blind eye to financial fraud by the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, this could have a chilling effect on the willingness of investors in both India and elsewhere to put money into the coffers of Indian corporations.

February 23, 2019

Religions love stories. Take Christianity, for example. The story is pretty simple.

God so loved the world he sent his only Son, Jesus, to be born via a virgin birth and to die on the cross as redemption for the sins of humankind.

(Not being a Christian, this is my best attempt at a one-sentence story summary. Adjust as desired.)

The Indian mystical faith that I belonged to for 35 years, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, or RSSB, has a somewhat similar story.

God arranges it so there's always at least one Perfect Living Master on Earth whose job is to initiate marked souls whose destiny is to return to the equivalent of heaven via the master, or guru, taking control of their karmas and guiding them through higher regions of creation in meditation.

Yet what are devotees supposed to do when there's plenty of evidence that the current RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, not only is far from perfect, but in some respects doesn't even rise to the level of an ordinary decent human being?

Dhillon has engaged in massive financial fraud. The guru has made death threats against his cousin. He has ignored reports of sexual abuse at the RSSB headquarters. Dhillon has made questionable remarks to a female devotee. The guru has markedly changed the RSSB teachings. He has enriched himself by wrongly mingling his family's personal funds with the finances of public companies controlled by his initiates.

In everyday life, if someone thought their car was perfectly designed, then the vehicle started developing all sorts of mechanical problems, they'd quickly alter the story they'd tell about the car. "It's a gem to own" would change to "I'm sorry I bought this piece of crap."

However, religious stories are much less amenable to change. In part this is because people have so much more invested in those stories. Not monetarily, though sometimes this is true also, but emotionally.

After all, both Christianity and Radha Soami Satsang Beas make promises about eternity, not just this life. Believers in Jesus, or the RSSB guru, supposedly can expect a wonderful afterlife. While non-believers are sent off to hellfire, or at least rebirth, the faithful get to enjoy everlasting bliss with God.

So it's tough for RSSB believers to accept that the guru they're counting on for eternal life actually isn't who he is claimed to be. Instead of adjusting their spiritual story to account for new evidence about Gurinder Singh Dhillon, they engage in various sorts of attempts to discredit disturbing facts.

Like...

-- The scandals surrounding the guru are tests of faith. True disciples will stand by him, why false disciples will doubt him.

-- The guru is spiritually perfect, while flawed in his worldly guise. Thus efforts should be made to reach the guru within instead of being preoccupied by the failings of his outward form.

-- All of the accusations against the guru being reported by the Indian press are unfounded, and his innocence will be proven one day.

I've been paying more attention to the stories we humans love to tell ourselves because I've been reading a new book by Yuval Noah Harari, "21 Lessons for the 21st Century." I liked his previous books, Sapiens and Homo Deus, so figured I'd like this book also.

Harari is a clear thinker with an appealing way of explaining important ideas. I read his final chapter first because it is called "Meditation." Harari describes why he is attracted to mindfulness meditation. Here's a few passages from that chapter.

The actual practice is to observe body sensations and mental reactions to sensations in a methodical, continuous, and objective manner, thereby uncovering the basic patterns of the mind. People sometimes turn meditation into a pursuit of special experiences of bliss and ecstasy.

Yet in truth, consciousness is the greatest mystery in the universe, and mundane feelings of heat and itching are every bit as mysterious as feelings of rapture or cosmic oneness. Vipassana meditators are cautioned never to embark on a search for special experiences; instead they are encouraged to concentrate on understanding the reality of their mind, whatever this reality might be.

But I digress from the subject of stories. Here's some of what Harari has to say about religious stories.

While a good story must give me a role and must extend beyond my horizons, it need not be true. A story can be pure fiction, yet provide me with an identity and make me feel that my life has meaning.

To the best of our scientific understanding, none of the thousands of stories that different cultures, religions, and tribes have invented throughout history is true. They are all just human inventions. If you ask for the true meaning of life and get a story in reply, know that this is the wrong answer.

The exact details don't really matter. Any story is wrong, simply for being a story. The universe just does not work like a story.

So why do people believe in these fictions? One reason is that their personal identity is built on the story. People are taught to believe in the story from early childhood. They hear it from their parents, their teachers, their neighbors, and the general culture long before they develop the intellectual and emotional independence necessary to question and verify such stories.

...For if indeed the story is false, then the entire world as we know it makes no sense.

...Most stories are held together by the weight of their roof rather than by the strength of their foundations. Consider the Christian story. It has the flimsiest of foundations.

What evidence do we have that the son of the Creator of the entire universe was born as a carbon-based life-form somewhere in the Milky Way about two thousand years ago? What evidence do we have that it happened in the Galilee area, and that His mother was a virgin?

Yet enormous global institutions have built on top of that story, and their weight presses down with such overwhelming force that they keep the story in place. Entire wars have been fought over changing a single word of the story.

...Once personal identities and entire social systems are built on top of a story, it becomes unthinkable to doubt it, not because of the evidence supporting it, but because its collapse will trigger a personal and social cataclysm. In history, the roof is sometimes more important than the foundations.

This certainly is true in regard to Gurinder Singh Dhillon and Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Several million people around the world believe that the RSSB guru is divine and can't make a serious mistake. They've entrusted their souls to his care (even though no one has ever seen a soul).

Centers have been built in many countries where the RSSB faithful gather. Large amounts of money are donated by devotees to keep the wheels of RSSB turning. The organization is a potent political force in the Punjab, and perhaps also in other parts of India.

So there's a lot of reluctance to adjust the story of the RSSB guru to match the facts of his fraudulent financial dealings and other ethical failings. Instead, those facts are denied, minimized, ignored.

Which is weird.

The Indian word "sat" means truth. Satsang is a true gathering. Satguru is a true guru. Satsangi is someone who associates with truth. Yet truth is scoffed at when it conflicts with the traditional RSSB story of who the guru is, and what he stands for.

This is why genuine truth-seekers involved with RSSB face a choice: give up their dedication to truth, or give up their faith in Gurinder Singh Dhillon. It isn't possible to claim to be devoted to sat, truth, and also ignore the truth about the RSSB guru.

Many years ago I decided that truth meant more to me than the RSSB story that I believed in for over three decades.

I've never regretted that decision. But everybody has to decide on their own where they stand: on the firm foundation of truth, or on the flimsy scaffolding that holds up religious stories.

February 21, 2019

Here's a letter from Sheena forwarded to me by someone I know who is in contact with her. Sheena was made aware of comments on this blog that said she has returned to the Dera, so she wanted to share the truth about this.

(The Dera is a term for the headquarters of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a spiritual organization in India that Sheena used to be involved with. She wrote a book, "Memoirs of a Seeker," that describes her experiences with RSSB.)

Hello Brian.

Sorry I have not corresponded directly with you or got a chance to talk or meet. Perhaps someday…..thanks for your continuous understanding. Despite what your critics may say, I firmly believe you are honest with yourself and stand by your beliefs with conviction. A quality not most can boast to have.

Am responding to the queries from your readers (screen shots sent by a friend) urging me to clarify. This will be my last response, as what had to be said is in ‘Memoirs of a Seeker.’ Nothing more to add.

I am not in Dera Beas or any other ashram.

I did not confide in a Guru. Memoirs Page 172 “That made me uncomfortable….”

I do not have the capacity for strong negative emotions such as hatred. When things go wrong, my defence mechanism is to be indifferent.

I have on Page 215 mentioned my take on what would/might be in an ashram if things go awry, “The ashram is entangled….”

I am not advocating what an individual should do. Each one is wise and mature enough to make their decisions. Some cling to faith in a Guru, some turn away, while others sit on the fence - it’s an individual’s choice, so find your own happiness in whichever way.

Memoirs of a Seeker was my journey, my experience and my learning – no regrets and no turning back. No need to open shut doors, am just looking ahead. I wasn’t expecting a perfect life as adversities are a part of living, so I am not stopping to fret over them, but prefer to deal with things positively.

I have found the beauty in life and peacefulness has enveloped me. Wish you all peace too!

February 20, 2019

Someone sent me a copy of the legal brief filed by Malvinder Singh against his cousin, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas; the guru's wife and children; Malvinder's brother, Shivinder; and several cronies of the guru.

This complaint has formed the basis for a number of stories in the Indian financial press (see here, here, and here). Now, obviously Gurinder Singh and the other people named in the complaint will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations of illegality.

But the complaint is very much in line with comments left on this blog from 2010 to 2014 by someone in the know. I shared their 27,000 words in "Devastating criticism of Gurinder Singh Dhillon by a RSSB insider." So this is independent confirmation that the general tenor of what Malvinder Singh alleges in his complaint is true.

I strongly recommend reading the criminal complaint in full. Though the stories in the Indian financial press accurately reflect what is in the complaint, there's additional details in the complaint. And it is well-written in what I assume is the style of Indian legal documents of this sort.

Here's screenshots of parts of the complaint that struck me as particularly important, along with my comments on them.

Sunil Godhwani was the guru's right-hand-man/close advisor for many years. Control of companies owned by the Singh brothers passed to Godhwani at the request of Gurinder Singh. This is the first mention of how Malvinder Singh viewed the guru as a spiritual guide, father figure, and mentor. Malvinder and Shivinder are initiates of Gurinder Singh, I'm pretty sure.

This excerpt talks about how Godhwani wasn't running the companies on his own, but was in "consultation and conspiracy" with Gurinder Singh to cheat Malvinder.

To understand this excerpt, we need to remember that the RSSB guru is considered by devotees to be God in human form. Hence, his advice and guidance can be trusted as divine. Malvinder says that he trusted Gurinder as his spiritual guru and believed "he can do no wrong." Almost certainly he can, though, as we'll see in the next sections of the complaint.

This is a central focus of the criminal complaint.

Shivinder is alleged to have spent a lot of time at the Dera (RSSB headquarters) working on a conspiracy to take money from RHC (a holding company formed by the Singh brothers with many subsidiaries) and shift the money to the guru, his relatives, and others -- leaving RHC with no assets but only liabilities, which obviously hurts Malvinder and other RHC shareholders.

Via an audit, Malvinder learns that RHC is debt-ridden and wasn't a "going concern." This leads him to investigate what happened. He learns that his brother, Shivinder, hasn't engaged in any sort of normal business practices, which the complaint argues shows the fraudulent intent of acquiring various companies held by RHC.

The complaint says that Malvinder learned that the RHC companies had loaned 1006 crores, which seems to be about $142 million US dollars, to Gurinder Singh, the guru's family, and other close associates of the guru.

After listing the exact amounts of RHC loans that total to the $142 million, the complaint alleges that Godhwani, in collusion with Shivinder and Gurinder Singh, "intrinsically intertwined" the finances of the Dhillon family with the finances of the companies -- which, as noted above, had shareholders whose interests weren't served by taking money from RHC to give to the Dhillon's.

Here's one of the motives (maybe the main motive) of Shivinder going to such lengths to funnel money into the pockets of Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his family. The guru had promised to make Shivinder the head of RSSB, taking Gurinder Singh's place, in exchange for forgiveness of the debts owed to RHC by the guru.

This part of the complaint says that Shivinder, in connivance with Gurinder Singh, his family, and close associates fraudulently acquired six companies in order to hide from RHC shareholders what was going on, and to shield the people who had gotten loans from RHC from having to repay the money.

Shivinder agrees to sign a "family settlement" that absolves Gurinder Singh Dhillon of wrongdoing or criminality. But Malvinder has objections to this, as detailed in some emails included in an appendix to the complaint. Again, Malvinder alleges that his brother, Shivinder, agreed to this "in his greed to become the next spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas."

When Malvinder refuses to sign the settlement agreement, things get really nasty. Malvinder says that Gurinder Singh threatened that he would be eliminated by people from the Radha Soami Satsang, and warned him that the guru is a powerful person who has friends in high places.

Malvinder states that he has recordings of the death threats made by Gurinder Singh and can make them available as and when desired. He also has received "veiled innuendos and threats" from other members of RSSB. Not surprisingly, this has put Malvinder "under immense mental pressure and trauma."

He's fearful for his life, saying that if anything happens to him this will be at the "behest of Sh. Gurinder Singh Dhillon and the other accused and those working under his influence."

This is amazing. The Radha Soami Satsang Beas guru, who supposedly is a spiritual leader, is making death threats against his cousin because Malvinder won't agree to forgiving hundreds of millions of dollars of loans illegally made to Gurinder Singh Dhillon, his family, and close associates.

How anybody can still believe in the divinity of the guru is beyond me.

Here the complaint says that Shivinder Singh has refused to try to recover the loan money as part of "his evil design to effectively try and write off the debt of the Dhillon Family."

This isn't a victimless crime, because Fortis Healthcare will be affected, diluting the value of shares owned by investors, defrauding the public, and adversely impacting public confidence.

Lastly, Malvinder asks that a FIR (First Information Report) be filed that sets the wheels of justice in motion. It'll be interesting to see how this complaint fares in the Indian legal system. I'm sure there will be more twists and turns in this drama.

New Delhi/Mumbai: The alleged funds diversion at Fortis Healthcare Ltd could add up to more than ₹2,000 crore, according to the trail of funds uncovered by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), a government official said.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), too, suspects that the total size of the Fortis fraud could be much higher than the ₹403 crore it originally estimated, a second person familiar with the development said, requesting anonymity.

Sebi has already passed an order against Fortis to recover ₹500 crore from the Singh brothers for funds diverted to the promoter and promoter-related entities in December.

“At the heart of the alleged fund diversion is Gurinder Singh Dhillon, head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, and Sanjay Godhwani, a former associate of Malvinder and Shivinder Singh. Six promoter-related companies were used to effect the funds diversion," the first person cited above said on condition of anonymity.

Some of these facts also emerged from the complaint filed by Malvinder Singh with the Economic Offences Wing in Delhi and findings by SFIO. These depict a dark picture of a series of transactions between RHC Holding Pvt. Ltd, the holding company promoted by brothers Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, wherein RHC extended loans worth ₹5,482 crore to Dhillon family members, their associates or entities controlled by them.

...The twist in the tale came when Dhillon sought to discharge himself from the said liabilities, asking the Singh brothers to sign a family settlement that would encompass no legal proceedings or criminality in any circumstance against him.

According to the proposed settlement, Shivinder Singh was offered a position to head the Radha Soami Satsang Beas sect—one that Dhillon would abdicate. In return, the Singh brothers were to write off these loans as bad debt.

While Shivinder agreed to the deal, Malvinder did not, the latter said in the complaint.

In his complaint filed with the Economic Offences Wing against his brother, the Dhillon family and Sunil and Sanjay Godhwani, Malvinder Singh alleged misappropriation of company funds and sought ₹8,742 crore in compensation.

...“It is clear that Dhillon, in the garb of providing spiritual guidance, had gained complete trust and…amassed wealth from the financial facilities extended to the Dhillon family. The true extent of the fraud has not come to light as the entities are tightly controlled by the accused and requires a thorough investigation," Malvinder Singh alleged in the complaint.

This should further destroy the reputation of Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, as a "perfect living master."

Actually, he isn't even at the level of a normally imperfect human being. It's outrageous that Gurinder Singh would sell his position as RSSB guru to Shivinder Singh in exchange for being forgiven the massive amount of money owed to companies once controlled by Shivinder and his brother Malvinder, who are Gurinder Singh's cousins.

What kind of a supposedly "spiritual" guru is willing to do this? Only a hugely greedy one.

I'll have more to say about this in another blog post, since every follower of Radha Soami Satsang Beas should consider it morally unacceptable that the RSSB guru looks upon his position as something to be bought and sold rather than as the priceless spiritual legacy the RSSB teachings make it out to be.

February 18, 2019

I've got some fake news about Sheena to correct, and some real news about Gurinder Singh Dhillon's unpaid debts to share.First, yesterday a commenter on one of my posts, Neha, said that Sheena is back at the Dera -- which is the Indian headquarters of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a spiritual organization headed up by Gurinder Singh Dhillon, who faces increasing legal troubles about death threats he's reportedly made and massive unpaid debts (described below).

Someone who knows Sheena emailed me today, saying:

"Have been asked to tell you that Sheena is not back at Dera nor has she visited there. This is just not true!"

I'm assuming that it was Sheena herself who did the asking to refute the fake news about her returning to the Dera. Sheena (not her real name) wrote a tell-all book about her relationship with Gurinder Singh Dhillon during the time she lived at the Dera and worked with the guru.

She recounts a number of disturbing stories about Gurinder Singh, which you can read about here, here, and here.

I don't know how the false rumor about Sheena returning to the Dera originated. But it might relate to the guru's increasing legal problems. Perhaps the powers-that-be at the Dera want to foster an image of the guru as someone with mystical powers that can bring his critics back into his godly embrace.

Even though Gurinder Singh Dhillon-'Babaji'-the spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) has in the past refused to respond to Business Today's emails and questions related to his financial dealings with the Singh brothers, he acknowledged the unpaid dues to Singh brothers as recently as May 27, 2018, according to annexures filed by Malvinder Singh in his complaint before the Economic Offences Wing.

The complaint claims Dhillon, his family members, his close associates, Godhwanis and/or companies owned/controlled or managed by them received loans worth Rs 1,006.3 crores. The complaint also claims the "The true extent of the financial fraud has not come to light as the entities are tightly controlled by the accused and requires a thorough investigation". Total dues claimed were in excess of Rs 8,646 crore as of March 31, 2016.

Dhillon family and RSSB associates are believed to have been lured by the real estate sector, which was delivering phenomenal returns between 2008 and 2011. Recipient companies raised more loans to buy real estate. But once the realty market collapsed they got trapped.

Singh brother's inability to recover the money from Dhillon and associates is believed to be the key reason behind the brothers' inability to pay off loans in group companies. Their pledged shares were invoked by lenders, resulting in loss of control over Fortis and Religare and the collapse of the Singh empire.

Here's the letter signed by the guru that Business Today shared in the story.

This letter shows that Gurinder Singh Dhillon was aware of the billion-dollar-plus debt he and his family owes to Malvinder and Shivinder Singh. As reported in news stories yesterday, Shivinder was willing to forgive the debt in exchange for being promised that he'd become the next RSSB guru.

Regarding the Business Today story excerpt shared above, I can't resist noting that Gurinder Singh Dhillon is believed to be "God in human form" by his devotees.

I'm wondering how those devotees can reconcile his supposed divinity with the fact that Dhillon made some astoundingly bad real estate decisions, which led to the downfall of the Singh brothers financial empire. Plus, the guru now is accused of making death threats against Malvinder Singh and refusing to pay back the money owed to Malvinder.

Either (1) the guru really isn't godly, or (2) he's being falsely accused of serious wrongdoing despite solid evidence of the misdeeds. My bet is on #1.

February 17, 2019

A mere day after I wrote a blog post ("Gurinder Singh Dhillon back in financial scandal spotlight") where I wondered how long it would take for the Radha Soami Satsang Beas guru to be directly implicated in wrongdoing, the Indian press is reporting that Gurinder Singh has been accused of making death threats against his cousin, Malvinder Singh.

And as if that wasn't enough to trash the guru's spiritual reputation, Gurinder Singh also is accused of accepting a huge amount of money in exchange for guaranteeing that another cousin, Shivinder Singh, would succeed him as RSSB guru.

I encourage people interested in this Indian financial/religious/criminal drama to read each of these stories in full. I'm just sharing a tantalizing excerpt from each, along with a PDF file of the story in case it becomes unavailable online.

Malvinder Singh's February 5 criminal complaint before the EOW has alleged that Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, has been threatening from time to time to sign a family settlement that absolves "Sh. Gurinder Singh Dhillon of any wrongdoing whatsoever and agreeing that no liablities or legal proceedings or criminality would be attributable to Sh.Gurinder Singh Dhillon whatsoever under any circumstances". Malvinder has recordings of these threats which can be made available as and when required.

It also says that his younger brother Shivinder Mohan Singh has already signed the 'family settlement' "in his greed to become the next spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas".

The complaint alleges when Malvinder refused to sign the settlement, "Sh. Gurinder Singh Dhillon has threatened the complainant through his lawyer Smt. Ferida Chopra that if he did not agree to the demands of Sh.Gurinder Singh Dhillon he would be eliminated by persons from the Radha Soami Satsang and that Sh.Gurinder Singh Dhillon was a powerful person who had contacts in the bureaucracy and polity at very high levels".

The curious case of the missing Rs 22,500 crore from the erstwhile Ranbaxy, Fortis, Religare empire has taken another ugly turn with Malvinder Singh filing a criminal complaint against 'Baba' Gurinder Singh Dhillon-the spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang, Beas-his wife, sons and associates; his brother Shivinder as well as the Godhwani kin-Sunil and Sanjay. The complaint filed before the Economic Offences Wing claims Baba Dhillon through lawyer Ferida Chopra threatened Malvinder would be eliminated. Malvinder has sought Rs 8,742 crore owed to him by the alleged accused.

This is the first time ever that either of the brothers has openly accused the Baba to be cause of their financial misery. This is also the first time Malvinder has accused Baba Dhillon of financial impropriety. The brothers' previous barbs have been directed at Dhillon's former confidante Sunil Godhwani. The differences, which were talked in hushed tones all this while, are now public.

After years of speculation that Gurinder Singh Dhillon, head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), a North India-based spiritual commune, received thousands of crores from the Singh brothers of Ranbaxy, Malvinder Singh has now detailed how money allegedly flowed from his companies to the ‘spiritual leader.’

In a complaint this month to the Economic Offences Wing (EoW) of the Delhi police, Malvinder accused his younger brother, Shivinder, the Dhillon family and the former head of Religare Enterprises, Sunil Godhwani, of criminal conspiracy, cheating and fraud for allegedly siphoning off thousands of crores from RHC Holdings, the group’s holding company that once promoted Fortis Hospitals and Religare.

...“Shivinder initiated these actions and permitted siphoning and malfeasance of funds with the ulterior motive of gaining control of the seat of the spiritual head of RSSB, which was promised to him by Dhillon in lieu of the financial gains,” the complaint states.

Former Fortis Healthcare promoter Malvinder Singh has filed a criminal complaint against his brother Shivinder Singh, spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang Gurinder Singh Dhillon and others alleging financial fraud and threats to kill him.

The other people who are named in the complaint include Gurkirat Singh Dhillon, Gurpreet Singh Dillon, Shabnam Dhillon, Godhwani kin -- Sunil and Sanjay.

Malvinder Singh, who filed the complaint before the Economic Offences Wing here, alleged that Gurinder Singh Dhillon or Baba through his lawyer Ferida Chopra has threatened to kill him.

“Gurinder Singh Dhillon has threatened the complainant through his lawyer Ferida Chopra that if he did not agree to the demands of Gurinder Singh Dhillon, he would be eliminated by persons from the Radha Soami Satsang,” the complaint said.

The complainant also charged of receiving veiled innundoes and threats from various other satsangis about listening to the demands of Dhilion.

It's hard to see how Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his cronies can avoid a criminal investigation, given the seriousness of the allegations against them.

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for the RSSB guru, who has a long history of abusing his supposedly "spiritual" position by amassing vast amounts of wealth while serving as the head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

Unless Google is misleading me, the amounts of money involved in the stories above is astounding. Malvinder Singh is seeking damages of 8,742 crore rupees, which apparently is well over a billion dollars. This is almost exactly the amount that Gurinder Singh Dhillon reportedly siphoned off from companies once controlled by the Singh brothers, Malvinder and Shivinder.

This is an accusation of massive financial fraud, which comes from somebody who seemingly should know what happened: Malvinder Singh himself. And if he has recordings that prove Gurinder Singh Dhillon made death threats against him, seemingly the RSSB guru could find himself in prison.

As regular readers of this blog know, I've been writing about Gurinder Singh's misdeeds for a long time, quite a few years. These posts appear in the Radha Soami Satsang Beas category of this blog (see right sidebar, or click on preceding link).

Devotees of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (of which I was one for 35 years, before I saw the light and jumped off the RSSB ship) have done their best to excuse the guru's behavior, even going so far as to view what Gurinder Singh has done wrong as a test of their faith in him.

Hopefully these new allegations by Malvinder Singh will cause people to see the guru for what the evidence says he is: a master manipulator with poor ethical values who acts more like a Mafia boss than a spiritual leader.

The Fortis Hospitals matter, in which the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) ordered the company to refund over ₹400 crore in December 2018, has taken a new turn, with the regulator receiving a complaint alleging that the real beneficiaries of the money were some of the top officials managing different businesses of the Religare Group. Initially, the money was believed to have moved from the listed entity to a subsidiary and thereafter to three borrower entities.

In a letter submitted to SEBI on January 17, a whistle-blower has named brothers Gurpreet Singh Dhillon and Gurkirat Singh Dhillon, along with Sunil Godhwani and Sanjay Godhwani, among others, as the main beneficiaries of the fund transfer.

Mr. Sanjay Godhwani is the brother of Mr. Sunil Godhwani, the former chairman of Religare Enterprises. Mr. Gurpreet Singh Dhillon is the CEO of Singapore-based Religare Health Trusts. Both, Mr. Gurpreet Singh Dhillon and Mr. Gurkirat Singh Dhillon are sons of Shabnam Dhillon and Gurinder Singh, the head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

This assumes significance as the SEBI probe that was initiated in February 2018 was based on reports that the promoters of Fortis Healthcare took out ₹500 crore from the company.

The SEBI probe further found that Fortis Hospitals had given loans to three borrower entities – Best Healthcare, Fern Healthcare and Modland Wears. The ultimate beneficiaries of the three entities, as per the SEBI probe, were RHC Holding and Religare Finvest, with the former being controlled by Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh, the original promoters of Fortis Healthcare.

The whistle-blower, in the letter, alleged that an advance of ₹155 crore that Best Healthcare received was disbursed to the Dhillon brothers. Further, Modland Wears is also alleged to have transferred ₹133.36 crore to a few people, including the Dhillon brothers. Meanwhile, Fern Healthcare, which received ₹114 crore from Fortis, transferred the money to the Godhwani brothers and Dhillon brothers, among others.

he Hindu has reviewed a copy of the whistle-blower’s letter to SEBI.

An email query sent to Religare Health Trust on Thursday remained unanswered till the time of going to press, while attempts to contact Mr. Sunil Godhwani proved futile. “While one cannot deny sensationalism through anonymous or whistle-blower complaints route, in some cases, SEBI in the past was able to identify possible fraud and other violations only because of information submitted by third parties,” said Sumit Agrawal, founder, RegStreet Law, who had earlier served as a law officer with SEBI. “SEBI usually wants these complaints to run it past by audit committees of listed companies as a first-check,” added Mr. Agrawal.

“Unfortunately, SEBI investigation has conveniently forgotten and overlooked to collect and put out information about the dealings of well-connected Satsang Beas and moneys flowing from the Singh Brothers to the Dhillon family via an assortment of mysterious financial instruments,” the whistle-blower’s letter stated.

“To the best of my information, around ₹488 crore has been extended to the Dhillon family as loans whereas around ₹70 crore has been extended to the Godhwani family,” the letter stated.

So this adds to the intrigue of the shell companies that funneled money to the guru's relatives and business associates through decidedly shady means. Some Googling appears to reveal that 488 crore in rupees equals about $68 million in U.S. dollars. That's a lot of money.

This reminds me of the scandals involving President Trump and many of his closest associates. So far Trump himself hasn't been directly implicated in the investigation being led by Robert Mueller and his team of FBI agents.

But when a politician, or a guru, is surrounded by people who lie, cheat, and steal, it makes sense to wonder if the Top Guy is equally involved in wrongdoing. Investigators typically work from the bottom up. Now that the guru's sons have been implicated in possible financial misdeeds, how long will it be before Gurinder Singh Dhillon becomes the focus of an inquiry?

Hard to say. Maybe never. Maybe tomorrow. For now all this simply points to the fact that religious leaders like Dhillon are just as imperfect and flawed as anyone else, if not more so.

February 14, 2019

As I've done in previous posts, here's an email interchange I had recently with someone who visits this blog regularly and likes to share ideas with me.

I WROTE:

Yes, giving up the feeling of being special is indeed a relief. As you’re probably aware, I’ve written about this from the perspective of index investing. Trying to beat the markets both takes a lot of work and has been proven to usually be a waste of time, since investors typically buy high and sell low, rather than the reverse.

Likewise, so is believing that you can beat the God market. As I’m sure I’ve noted before, now I simply say, “God, if you exist, it’s up to you to show yourself to me, since there are so many ways people have used to find you, they can’t all be correct.”

Even if it can be argued that God likes all of these ways, seemingly God also would like my attitude of “I want to know you, but it’s your job to make the connection.”

To me this is much more logical and scientific than picking one way to know God, which statistically speaking is almost certain to be wrong. So I just sit in as much inward silence as my meditation allows, and wait for God to show up. So far, nothing. Unless God is that nothing, in which case I’m decidedly enlightened.

THE OTHER PERSON REPLIED:

Hi Brian, thanks for writing. I really like that last paragraph. “Unless God is that nothing, in which case I’m decidedly enlightened”. Awesome.

“But now I've come to feel something different, and seemingly more attainable. I simply want to be as fully aware as possible of whatever it is I'm doing until I take my last breath. What that whatever is doesn't matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.”

Good stuff!

I was thinking about something sort of similar recently. I was listening to someone talk about things they want to do before they die. Like the bucket list you mentioned. This person happened to be a Christian, so the list consisted of things they believed God wanted them to do, and some of their own desires.

Funny how those are separate. And they felt like if they didn’t accomplish the God stuff, they wouldn’t get their full reward and all that. Sounds exhausting! But I get it. I used to think the same way.

I’ve noticed that, after practicing mindfulness to varying degrees for the last few years, that I don’t really have a list of things I want to do, anymore. I’m mostly content to live day to day. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have a few things I’d like to do in the near future, but they aren’t things that are on an important list.

Even if I did have a list of cool stuff, and was able to do most or all of them, the memories and emotions tend to fade pretty quickly. Especially when living mindfully. I was kind of laughing thinking that when we die, assuming there is nothing after all this, we won’t remember any of the cool stuff because… well, we will be dead. LOL

And if there is some kind of afterlife that’s anything like what people think, it will probably be cooler than the cool stuff we did here, so the stuff we did here will pale in comparison.

I don’t know if this sounds nihilistic or not, but I don’t think of it that way. It doesn’t mean that I don’t plan fun activities. Like this summer, my wife and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage and we will go to Florida for a week. I’m sure it will be great. But I’m not driven to cram in as much stuff into my life as I can before I die. It just seems more relaxing that way.

I’ve noticed something interesting going on with me. I don’t have any atheist friends. And I only have a couple of friends who would probably be considered agnostic. I’m finding myself feeling, I guess lonely, for lack of a better word. I know for a fact that is why many people go to church. It’s part of their social life.

Christianity is so prevalent in this part of the country that it permeates everything. So it kind of changes how people view the world and life. I know my views on most things have changed drastically since I left religion behind.

I was meditating with a Buddhist friend on Sunday mornings for a while and we had some really good conversations after our meditation time. But we stopped meditating because his schedule changed. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed being able to talk to someone about my current views without judgment until recently.

So I find myself reading blogs and listening to podcasts. Not really to learn something new, but I guess it’s that human need to hear other people say things similar to what I believe. It’s interesting to hear people talk about going from a religious life to an atheist life. Lots of similarities in their stories. I guess that kind of makes me feel not as alone as well.

February 10, 2019

In an email message, a regular Church of the Churchless visitor recommended that I check out a George Carlin video about Christianity.

When I searched You Tube, a pleasing variety of videos popped up where Carlin bashes religion. So I picked the one that's gotten the most views, 11 million.

Enjoy.

Carlin hits on a lot of great points, including the crappy job that God is doing with the world, the ridiculousness of combining the threat of hellfire with God's love for us, why praying makes no sense, and the insatiable demand of religions for money, money, money.

February 07, 2019

I was really proud of myself tonight. So proud, I'm thinking that what I did could be a tangible sign of my enlightenment, mini, or even micro, variety.

After finding a parking spot a couple of blocks from my 6 pm Tai Chi class in downtown Salem, I walked away from my VW GTI without going back and checking if I'd locked the car via a button on the door handle.

Now, this may not seem like something that distinguishes an enlightened being. It pales in comparison to what supposedly happened with the Buddha under the Bodhi Tree.

But given how often I do return to my car to peer into the driver's side window to see if the red "locked" light is flashing, I was decidedly pleased that even though doing this did pass through my mind, tonight I recalled hearing the clunk sound my GTI makes when a door is locked.

Thus this time I'd managed to be mindful of a habitual action: locking my car.

Many other times, way too many to count, I'd started thinking of something else I needed to do while my finger was pressing the lock button. Since the human brain has limited bandwidth, and really is able to do only one thing at a time skillfully, my lack of attention to what my body was doing at the locking-car moment often leaves me unsure if I'd done it.

Now that I've reached the age of 70 (which seems astoundingly old whenever I see it in writing), I'm paying more attention to the few pearls of wisdom I might be able to pass on to the young'uns. Here's one pearl, as prosaic as it may seem:

Try to keep your mind and body on the same page of reality.

This is Mindfulness 101, of course. Others have said the same thing, and better, in the many books I've read about meditation and mindfulness. For example, here's a passage from Thich Nhat Hanh's wonderful little book, "The Miracle of Mindfulness."

Our breath is such a fragile piece of thread. But once we know how to use it, it can become a wondrous tool to help us surmount situations which would otherwise seem hopeless. Our breath is the bridge from our body to our mind, the element which reconciles our body and mind and which makes possible one-ness of body and mind.

Breath is aligned to both body and mind and it alone is the tool which can bring them both together, illuminating both and bringing both peace and calm.

Life is short. The older we get, the more this becomes obvious. Some people deal with this fact by making a Bucket List of things they want to accomplish before, as the saying goes, they kick the bucket.

I used to embrace that sort of attitude.

But now I've come to feel something different, and seemingly more attainable. I simply want to be as fully aware as possible of whatever it is I'm doing until I take my last breath. What that whatever is doesn't matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.

By which I mean, there's an unbridgeable gulf between (1) existing as a living being, and (2) dying and not existing at all.

(I'm an atheist, so I don't believe in life after death. However, even religious people should admit there is no solid proof of this, so my point holds for everybody in my decidedly personal opinion.)

So let's say I write a best-selling book -- which previously was on my Bucket List. So what? How does that change my life? How does it affect my everyday existence? I still need to fix my breakfast, wash dishes, walk the dog, and, yes, lock my car. If I'm thinking of how great an author I am while doing those things, I've lost part of my living.

Again, Thich Nhat Hanh makes this point way better than I can.

If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not "washing the dishes to wash the dishes." What's more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes.

In fact, we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can't wash the dishes, the chances are we won't be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands.

Thus we are sucked away into the future -- and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.

Thumbing though a chapter I'd already read, The Nature of Mathematics, I came to this passage. It made me wish that religions, mystical paths, and other varieties of supernaturalism were as wise as science.

Mathematicians are rather proud of this absolute certainty [that mathematical proofs are true], and scientists tend to be a little envious of it.

For in science there is no way of being certain of any proposition.

However well one's theories explain existing observations, at any moment someone may make a new, inexplicable observation that casts doubt on the whole of the current explanatory structure.

Worse, someone may reach a better understanding that explains not only all existing observations but also why the previous explanations seemed to work but are nevertheless quite wrong.

Galileo, for instance, found a new explanation of the age-old observation that the ground beneath our feet is at rest, an explanation that involved the ground actually moving.

Virtual reality -- which can make one environment seem to be another -- underlines the fact that when observation is the ultimate arbiter between theories, there can never be any certainty that an existing explanation, however obvious, is even remotely true.

It isn't difficult to think, "I don't know for sure." Religious believers should give that thought a try, rather than considering that 100% confidence in a faith is the only way to go.

Since religions believe in dogmas that often contradict each other, clearly not all religions can be true. (Of course, my position is that none of them are true.) So it makes sense for followers of a religion to entertain the possibility that what they believe could be untrue.

Science makes progress by embracing challenges to current ways of looking at the cosmos. Unfortunately, religions are locked into rigid belief systems that make it impossible for them to come steadily closer to truth like science is able to do.

February 01, 2019

Whites don't really know what it is like to be African American. Heterosexuals don't really know what it is like to be homosexual, or more broadly, LGBTQ. And religious believers don't know what it is like to be atheist.

(Note: I was a religious believer for 35 years, Eastern mysticism variety, so I'm very familiar with both religious belief and atheism -- having deconverted from my previous belief about 14 years ago.)

So as an atheist, I haven't been surprised by the response of many to my also-atheist wife, Laurel, using the public comment period at a Salem (Oregon) City Council meeting to complain about the Mayor's 2019 State of the City address being preceded by a Christian pastor calling upon God/Jesus to bless the Mayor, and for everyone in attendance to pray.

On Facebook I've seen numerous comments along the lines of, If you object to praying, just don't do it and You should leave religions alone to do their own thing.

While these sorts of attitudes roughly reflect how my wife and I also feel, they miss a crucial point: Atheists in the United States aren't only bothered by religious beliefs that are unscientific, non-factual, and often appallingly political. We also object to a long history in this country of atheists being discriminated against, a prejudice that continues to this day.

Though I don't believe in heaven or hell, I do think this familiar movie phrase applies to me, my wife, and many fellow atheists: "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Meaning, since the founding of the United States atheists have been wrongly put down as immoral, un-American, and elitist. A book by two emeritus Cornell professors, R. Laurence Moore (history and American studies) and Issac Kramnick (government) explains this in great detail.

From the pages of state constitutions to the seats of Congress, Moore and Kramnick (The Godless Constitution: The Case Against Religious Correctness) search for places for the godless in American politics and find few.

Beginning with the country’s roots in England, with its official state church, the United States’ protection of religious liberties excludes one group: nontheists and their nonbelief in a religion or deity. The authors explain that 18th- and 19th-century Americans associated morality with religion, so eschewing one was considered a rejection of the other.

The tensions of the Cold War reinforced this historical bias, with rhetoric tying communism to atheism and implying a corresponding relationship between belief and patriotism. The concept of the dangerous, un-American—or worse, anti-American—atheist paved the way for the addition of “Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 and “In God We Trust” to America’s currency in 1957, and constrained nontheists’ chances at public office and judicial seats.

Synopses of pivotal Supreme Court cases demonstrate how atheists, agnostics, humanists, secularists, and nontheists are frequently cast as an amoral minority. Through cautious and sensitive comparisons between nontheists and other marginalized groups, the authors present the marginalization of nontheists as an equal rights issue.

This accessible and sincere book usefully makes explicit often-unspoken currents in American political life.

The Pew Research Center says that 31% of people in Oregon, where I live, are unaffiliated religious "None's" -- 5% atheist, 8% agnostic, and 18% nothing in particular. However, that last category is made up of 12% for whom religion is unimportant and 6% for whom religion is important.

Thus let's subtract those "nothing in particular" people who don't consider religion important.

That still leaves 25% of Oregon's population as decidedly non-religious. Is it possible that a quarter of the citizenry deserve these sorts of discriminatory attitudes, as described in the Godly Citizens in a Godly Republic book? (Boldfacing added for emphasis.)

-- "A 2011 Gallup poll that asked, 'If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be atheist would you vote for that person?' found that only 49% of Americans said yes. Responses for other similarly well-qualified nominees: black, 94%; women, 93%; Catholic, 92%; Jewish, 89%; and Mormon, 76%."

-- "An earlier iteration of the 'willingness to vote for your party's nominee' in 1999, which included homosexuals among the choices, ranked them at 59%, higher than atheists at 49%."

-- "When asked into what group they would least like their children to marry, nearly half of Americans list atheists first, significantly higher than Muslims, African Americans, and Jews."

-- "So too, when asked to name 'the group that does not at all agree with my vision of American society,' 40% of Americans put atheists on top, followed by Muslims, 26%; homosexuals, 22%; conservative Christians, 13%; recent immigrants, 12%; Jews, 7%; African Americans, 5%."

The book's authors ascribe this distaste toward atheists as reflecting three foundational features of American sociocultural belief: (1) A conviction that one can't be a good person if one is not a believer; (2) one can't be a good American if one is not a believer; (3) American anti-intellectualism, since many see atheists as cultural elitists -- philosophers, scientists, and artists who threaten the beliefs of ordinary people.

Thus there's a lot going on beneath the surface of my wife's complaint about a Christian prayer being offered at a public meeting here in Salem.

Us atheists, along with the broader category of "None's," are tired of being viewed as second-class citizens. We're fed up with being put down and marginalized just because we don't believe in unbelievable supernaturalism. We no longer find it acceptable to stay silent while religious speech (mostly Christian) fills the airwaves.

Nationally 23% of Americans are religious None's. That's about four times more than the 6% of Americans who hold to non-Christian faiths. Here in Oregon, the ratio is even higher: 31% None's and 7% non-Christian.

Yet I'm willing to bet that an atheist, agnostic, or other non-believer has never been invited to give the invocation at the State of the City address in Salem, even though non-Christians such as Jews have.

This points to the disturbing falsehood that the authors of Godless Citizens in a Godly Republic emphasize: atheists are viewed by religious people as less moral and trustworthy, even though there is no evidence of this being true. It's just a discriminatory attitude that would be viewed as abhorrent if a racial or ethnic minority was being typecast in this fashion.